Hey, Cape Cod: The Joke’s On You

Hey, Cape Cod: The Joke’s On You

A few weeks ago, when I stumbled across this story about a couple of artists who’ve created the “whimsical” Cape subway map pictured here, I couldn’t help but to think, “WTF?” Yes, I get the tongue-in-cheekness of such a map; after all, I too grew up in a small almost-on-the-Cape town where the extent of public transportation was riding on the pegs of a friend’s bike. The thing was: the map reminded me of those obnoxious Cape Cod Tunnel resident stickers you see slapped onto the back of every third car on Route 3 between Plymouth and the Sagamore Bridge. And those stickers—like this map—make me really, really (uncharacteristically) angry.

Like the tunnel stickers, the Cape subway map is supposed to be funny; an in-joke for year-round Cape residents who endure the summer pilgrimage of SUVs packed with screaming families who crowd the roads, beaches and grocery stores for the best five months out of the year. Additionally, the stickers (and the map) are supposed to invoke envy and jealousy among the aforementioned SUVers, who will try in vain to find the tunnel and/or subway line, only to make an ass of themselves by asking a Cape resident pointblank.

While both sticker and map are meant to amuse the local and poke fun at the tourist, the fact remains that the Cape has yet to do anything about easing the burden on locals during the summer tourist season. While a tunnel or subway system could very likely alleviate some of the traffic issues for locals between May and October (so they wouldn’t have to do their grocery shopping at midnight to avoid the crowds), there’s never going to be one or the other — at least in our lifetimes. So really, who’s the joke on now?